14) 2006: Heat over Mavericks

One of the all-time biggest upsets is just one of several superlatives you can apply to this series. It was also only the third time in NBA Finals history that a team came back from a 2-0 series deficit, and it’s happened just two more times since (including the Bucks last year). Most notably, though, it was maybe the most controversial NBA Finals in modern history, one in which Mavericks fans still attribute the final result to the referees as much as anything. On paper, this wasn’t much of a mismatch. The Mavericks, led by Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Terry, and Josh Howard, had 60 regular season wins compared to Miami’s 52, but Dwyane Wade had taken over the postseason and the creaky Heat veterans still had some fight in them. Things sure seemed dire late in game three, when the Mavericks had a 13 point fourth quarter lead and seemed prime to take a 3-0 series advantage. That’s when Wade took over, finishing with 42 points, 15 in the fourth quarter, then averaging 38.6 points over the next three games as the Heat finished off the series in six. Game five was especially questionable, with Wade shooting 25 free throws, including a phantom call late in the game that allowed him to give Miami the lead for good. Things went from bad to worse for Dallas a year later, when they were upset in the first round as a #1 seed. But they did eventually exact some revenge in a 2011 Finals rematch against the Heat that ranks much higher on this list.

13) 1995: Rockets over Magic

The ’93-’94 season was a dominant performance for the Rockets from start to finish, winning 22 of their first 23 games, then holding off some terrific Suns, Jazz, and Knicks teams in the postseason en route to a title. ’94-’95 was a different story, with disgruntled stars Otis Thorpe and Vernon Maxwell tanking team chemistry, forcing them to jettison the two starters. While trying to rework the offense around the newly acquired Clyde Drexler, they slumped down the stretch and entered the playoffs as the #6 seed in the West. The old adage about never underestimating the heart of a champion then took hold, with the Rockets upending the #3 Jazz, #2 Suns, and #1 Spurs in succession, each in tight, gritty series. Waiting in the NBA Finals were the Magic, who had established themselves as the East’s powerhouse by upending a returned Michael Jordan’s Bulls and a strong Pacers team in the Conference Finals. Shaquille O’Neal and Penny Hardaway seemed primed to lead Orlando to the first of many titles, but game one ended in stunning fashion, with Nick Anderson missing four consecutive free throws, any of which may have clinched the game. Houston eventually swept the series, with Hakeem Olajuwon outplaying Shaq and earning back-to-back Finals MVP trophies. The Rockets became the first, and still only, team to win the NBA title without holding home court advantage in any series, and set the postseason record with nine road wins.

12) 2012: Heat over Thunder

This might seem strange in retrospect but according to Vegas odds, this was an upset. Even with LeBron James playing lights out and Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh still in their primes, the Heat had a choker label heading into this series. The Thunder had crushed their opposition in the West, sweeping the defending champion Mavericks, putting the aging Lakers out of their misery, then pushing past a solid Spurs team. Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden were proving to be a “Big Three” just as formidable as Miami’s, especially after a double-digit game one win at home. But they ran into a buzzsaw from there, with James playing arguably the best ball of his career, and role players Shane Battier, Mario Chalmers, and Mike Miller taking turns sticking unlikely daggers into Oklahoma City’s heart. The Heat finished off the series in five games thanks to three consecutive home wins, signaling the start of a brief dynasty. It led to an unlikely end of the line for this Thunder team, with Harden getting traded to the Rockets later that summer.

11) 1978: Bullets over SuperSonics

Playoff disappointment was just a way of life for Bullets fans by the time the 1978 postseason commenced. Led by the star front court duo of Elvin Hayes and Wes Unseld, they were making their 10th consecutive playoffs appearance, which were highlighted by Finals losses in 1971 and 1975, the latter of which will appear later on this list. They had also been stunned in the first round in 1976 and the second round in 1977, and with Hayes and Unseld both north of 30 years old, a title run in ’77-’78 seemed like a long shot. They managed to eke out the East’s #3 seed on the last day of the regular season, then pulled off successive upsets over the Spurs and 76ers to return to the NBA Finals. Their opponent was equally unlikely, as Seattle was making its first Finals appearance just 11 years into its franchise history. The Sonics were the #4 seed in the West and also required two straight series upsets, over Portland and Denver. But they were the better team on paper, with a young dangerous back court rotation of Dennis Johnson, Gus Williams, and Fred Brown, who were expected to slice and dice and shoot their way past the aging, plodding Bullets. Things sure looked that way in game one, when Seattle erased a 19-point Washington lead to win, thanks to Brown catching fire in the fourth quarter. But the Bullets front line beat up on the smaller Sonics forwards and centers and eventually clinched game seven on the road in Seattle thanks to a balanced attack, with six players scoring in double figures, led by Bobby Dandridge’s 19. A rematch one year later went more as suspected, with the Sonics cruising to their first title in franchise history in five games.

10) 1955: Nationals over Pistons

Nestled between the George Mikan Laker dynasty and Bill Russell’s rookie season with the Celtics, the 1955 NBA Finals are often overlooked as a footnote but was arguably one of the most intriguing series in league history. It was a last gasp of the small market teams in the NBA’s early years, with Syracuse battling Fort Wayne just a few years before the teams relocated to Philadelphia and Detroit, respectively. This was also a hotly contested match-up, with all seven games coming down to the final minute. Point guard George King was the hero for Syracuse, hitting the series winner in game seven, a jumper with 12 seconds left that put the Nationals ahead for good, 92-91. With a balanced starting lineup featuring four All-Stars in George Yardley, Mel Hutchins, Andy Phillip, and Larry Foust, the Pistons were the slight favorites in this series, but they faced some unexpected adversity throughout. Their home arena was already booked by a bowling tournament, forcing them to play games three, four, and five in Indianapolis, over 120 miles away. If you asked Yardley, there was another factor at play against Fort Wayne in the series. There was some suspicious decision making by several Pistons players down the stretch in game seven and Yardley is one of many who suspects that the team’s disgraced former All-Star Jack Molinas was involved in a betting scandal in this series. It’s never been proven or disproven, but one definitive result of this series is that Pistons owner Fred Zollner considered the arena snafu to be the final straw in his decision to relocate the team to Detroit.

9) 1989: Pistons over Lakers

Even though they barely eked out the 1988 NBA Finals over the Pistons after an ankle injury slowed Isiah Thomas, the Lakers were still considered the favorites in the rematch one year later. The Pistons had finished the ’88-’89 season with the best record in the NBA and trampled their opposition in the East playoffs, but the Lakers had the reigning MVP in Magic Johnson, were motivated to win one more title before the impending retirement of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and coach Pat Riley had trademarked the term “three-peat” in anticipation of a third consecutive title. Once the series started, the Pistons changed the narrative immediately with an easy game one victory at home, and the Lakers never recovered. It was a four-game sweep for Detroit, effectively ending the Showtime dynasty in an emphatic matter. The Pistons returned to the NBA Finals in 1990 as a heavy favorite and got the job done again, defeating the Trail Blazers to repeat as champs.

8) 1977: Trail Blazers over 76ers

After acquiring a pair of ABA All-Star forwards in George McGinnis and Julius Erving, the 76ers quickly transitioned from afterthoughts in the early and mid ’70s to title favorites in ’76-’77. Also featuring the scoring punch of World B. Free, Doug Collins, and Steve Mix, the Sixers finished with the top record in the East, then survived postseason challenges from the Celtics and Rockets to advance to the NBA Finals. Things didn’t go nearly as smooth for the Trail Blazers, who struggled to integrate another ABA All-Star, Maurice Lucas, into their starting lineup and dealt with the usual litany of injuries to their star center, Bill Walton. Things clicked for Portland in the playoffs, which they entered as the West’s #3 seed but pulled off consecutive upsets over the Nuggets and Lakers. Games one and two of the NBA Finals went to Philadelphia in convincing fashion but the Trail Blazers turned things around completely from there, winning four straight to take the series. Erving was incredible in the series, averaging 30.3 points per game, but the rest of the 76ers’ offensive stars withered away beyond game two, especially McGinnis, who couldn’t handle Lucas’ smothering defense.

“With franchises constantly coming and going, and talent evaluation lacking, whacky things happened all the time in the first decade of the NBA and the 1948 Finals may be the ultimate example.”

7) 1969: Celtics over Lakers

There weren’t many moments in Bill Russell’s career when the Celtics were legitimate underdogs, but it made sense at the end of his run. The ’68-’69 Celtics essentially limped to the NBA Finals, with the 34-year-old Russell, 35-year-old Sam Jones, 32-year-old Bailey Howell and 30-year-old Satch Sanders all starting to slow. They finished with only the fourth best record in the East but turned it on again when it mattered, defeating superior (on paper) teams in Philadelphia, New York, and Los Angeles in succession. Though the Lakers had lost their previous six Finals match-ups against Boston, this was the year things seemed destined to change, with Wilt Chamberlain manning the middle to supplement Jerry West and Elgin Baylor. While Russell was far from 100% in this series, dealing with the effects of a leg injury from earlier in the season, John Havlicek picked up the pace on offense, averaging 28.3 points per game, while role players Larry Siegfried and Don Nelson contributed high above expectations. It took not one but two clutch winning shots for the Celtics to survive, with Jones hitting a buzzer beating runner to steal game four, while Nelson put away the instant classic game seven with a late jumper. Despite being hampered by a pulled hamstring, West played out of his mind in this series and became the first and only player to be awarded Finals MVP for a losing effort. 

6) 2019: Raptors over Warriors
5) 2016: Cavaliers over Warriors

In arguably the greatest dynasty run since the Michael Jordan Bulls, the Warriors made five consecutive NBA Finals appearances starting in 2015, and won three titles. But the two that got away did so in spectacular fashion and as stunning upsets. Though the ’15-’16 Warriors weren’t technically the biggest upset victims in Finals history, they were arguably the greatest team to fall short. Physically and mentally spent from winning a record 73 regular season games and then fighting off the Thunder in a seven game Conference Finals series, the Warriors collapsed after opening a 3-1 series lead over the Cavaliers. Cleveland took game five in Oakland while Draymond Green was serving a suspension, then kept the momentum going through games six and seven thanks to otherworldly performances from LeBron James and Kyrie Irving. As unlikely as the Cavs winning their only title in franchise history was in 2016, the Raptors were an even longer shot in 2019 according to Vegas. Of course, the Warriors had added Kevin Durant by then, and won back-to-back titles in unstoppable fashion in 2017 and 2018. Durant had missed much of the postseason heading into the NBA Finals due to a calf strain, but was expected to come back and save their three-peat chances. He did return in game five, with the Warriors trailing 3-1 in the series, but tore his Achilles’ after just 11 minutes of play. With Klay Thompson also out with an ACL tear, Kawhi Leonard was able to lead Toronto to a six game series victory. Just like the Cavs three years prior, the Raptors made history for their hometown with an unlikely title at the expense of Golden State.

4) 1948: Bullets over Warriors

With franchises constantly coming and going, and talent evaluation lacking, whacky things happened all the time in the first decade of the NBA and the 1948 Finals may be the ultimate example. When four franchises folded after the inaugural NBA season, the Baltimore Bullets were imported from the rival ABL to fill out the league roster. The other NBA teams considered the Bullets to be a “minor league” squad that would be easily rolled over, but they shockingly built on their ABL success (two titles in their final three years) into the new league. They also benefitted from a weird playoffs system where the regular season conference champs, the Philadelphia Warriors and St. Louis Bombers, faced off on one side of the bracket, allowing the Bullets to reach the NBA Finals by defeating the lesser seeded Knicks and Chicago Stags. Conventional wisdom was that the defending champion Warriors would drag the Bullets back down to earth in the NBA Finals but a new Baltimore acquisition had other plans. Young star Connie Simmons had been acquired in-season via trade with the Celtics and dominated the Finals series with his size. The Warriors won game one easily and opened up a 21-point lead in game two, but instead of just running out the clock (which was easy back in the pre-shot clock era), they showed their hubris by attempting to run up the score. Star Joe Fulks went cold down the stretch, allowing the Bullets to come from behind to win. Baltimore rode that momentum to a series victory in six games, clinching just the second title in NBA history as a virtual expansion team. Despite their early success, the Bullets were mismanaged and struggled for the next few seasons before folding in 1955.

3) 2011: Mavericks over Heat

Unless you were a major Heat fan or a big time LeBron James apologist (presumably not from Cleveland), this was the ultimate example of schadenfreude. From the moment their three stars – James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh – threw a pre-season pep rally promising multiple titles, the ’10-’11 Heat had a major target on their back. They came out of the gate slow and had to eventually settle for the #2 seed in the East, but were still considered the title favorite heading into the postseason. Things were quite different for the Mavericks, who were still undeniably one of the best teams in the West, but also considered past their prime, with their own 2006 Finals upset loss likely standing as their best chance to win one with Dirk Nowitzki. Most experts and fans considered the Lakers, Spurs, or Thunder as a better bet to potentially upend the Heat, but the Mavericks bested them all en route to the Finals. Things went according to plan in game one, with the Heat winning comfortably by 12 but a funny thing happened in game two, with veterans Shawn Marion and Jason Terry leading the way to a Mavs upset. The pattern from there: Nowitzki playing unstoppably on offense, one or two supporting players stepping up, while one of the Miami “Big Three” struggles. James was notably the black sheep in games four and five, both Heat losses, adding to the (later proven silly) perception that he didn’t have the fortitude to handle the biggest pressure.

2) 1975: Warriors over Bullets

Only two teams won 50 or more games in the ’74-’75 NBA season. In fact, those two teams (the Bullets and Celtics) actually both won 60 games each, a solid 11 games ahead of the third best record. If you’re wondering whether the Warriors were that team with the third most wins, then raise your hand… and smack yourself with it, because it was another East team, the Buffalo Braves, led by MVP Bob McAdoo. With a 48-34 record, the Warriors were the top seed in the West but would have ranked fourth in the East. The Bullets-Celtics Eastern Conference Finals were therefore considered the real NBA Finals and certainly didn’t disappoint in terms of entertainment, with the Bullets prevailing in six tough games. The Warriors had a comparably easy road to the NBA Finals but struggled anyway to hold off the Sonics and Bulls. Despite relying almost entirely on Rick Barry for offense, the Warriors stunned the Bullets thanks to their smothering defense. Though every game was close, Golden State won them all, finishing off the upset as a four game sweep. Barry won the Finals MVP honors after averaging 29.5 points, 5.0 assists, 4.0 rebounds, and 3.5 steals per game for the series.

1) 2004: Pistons over Lakers

Even though they came into this series with similar regular season records and similar postseason runs, the Lakers were heavy favorites over the Pistons. The Lakers had -550 series odds, meaning that a $100 bet on Los Angeles would win you only around $18 if they pulled it off. It is understandable where this conventional wisdom came from. The Lakers won three straight championships starting in 2000, each time overwhelming lesser Eastern Conference opponents. In fact, an East team hadn’t won the title since 1998, the final year that Michael Jordan played with the Bulls. In addition to Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant, who were without a doubt two of the league’s five best players at the time, the Lakers had veterans Gary Payton and Karl Malone chasing an elusive ring, plus holdovers Rick Fox, Derek Fisher, and Devean George from the previous three-peat. Comparably, the Pistons had no superstars but just a collection of good players, with an entire roster that had a combined four All-Star appearances. The series soon proved though that specific match-ups matter, as does team chemistry. While the Lakers struggled with the distractions of Malone’s antics, Bryant’s rape trial, and the perceived O’Neal-Bryant feud, the Pistons were a well-oiled machine. All five Detroit starters averaged double-digit scoring for the series, and their defense was smothering, holding the Lakers to 75 points in game one and 68 in game three. O’Neal and Bryant averaged nearly 50 points per game combined, but the other 10 Lakers collectively averaged barely 30. The Pistons finished off the series in just five games, effectively ending the O’Neal/Bryant era of dominance and setting off a new age of parity in the NBA.